Michael Elkin’s directorial debut, Break emerges as a fascinatingly compelling genre mash-up. It also makes the case that snooker can be cinematic, as it follows an inner-city kid who goes by the name of Spencer. Seemingly trapped in a cycle of petty crime inherited from his father, our protagonist is given a path to redemption and escape as his skill in the aforementioned sport may lead him to glory.

A narrative that begins with violence and crime shifts gears and becomes something different. And as our protagonist works to escape his criminal routes, so too does the film blossom as it moves away from the gangster genre and lands firmly as a sports movie. What emerges is a surprisingly hopeful piece, one that uses the tropes of its competing genres to propel itself to a happy ending, gaining emotional heft in its last act. Break isn’t beyond clichés but manages to, in the end, transcend them by adapting them to its advantage.

You feel a constant push in Michael Elkin’s film to move beyond the gangland setting its narrative exists in for much of the runtime. Cinematographer Richard Swingle brings a gloss to East London that seems to hint at the glamorous setting audiences will escape to for Break’s snooker-based finale. British pool halls have never achieved the kind-of beauty they do here. Even the performances seem to be playing against type. Lead Sam Gittins scrapes a soulful turn out of the grit, whilst David Yip’s mentor figure avoids stereotype and becomes an interesting presence as the narrative progresses. Sophie Stevens manages to (just about) escape the supportive girlfriend stereotype, whilst Luke Mably manages to tug on our heartstrings, even if his character’s journey is as expected. Even the more familiar faces who take on cameo roles are having fun subverting expectations. Jamie Foreman is a far cry from the shouty turn he puts in in Layer Cake (perhaps the best British gangster flick of the post-Lock Stock era), instead producing a quieter turn layered with a cheeky wit. And the presence of the late Rutger Hauer will make you miss the screen icon and he makes the most of a few fleeting appearances.

Showing in drive-in cinema, Break is a slice of British cinema that is resolutely optimistic in a way that surprises and endears it to the viewer. It can’t quite escape the clichés of its respective genres but it manages to achieve interesting details within them. Its story of someone trying to escape the cycle of crime that has ravaged parts of the community for decades now is compelling and what director Elkin and his skilled ensemble bring elevate Break into the kind-of film all cinema lovers should support.